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Selecting the perfect neutral

Selecting the perfect neutral

May 15th, 2025

Little Greene

Neutrals are a timeless choice, delivering an atmosphere of calm, comfort and relaxation. Supremely versatile, neutrals provide a beautiful soft backdrop for fabrics, furnishings and artwork, enabling you to create schemes that feel effortlessly harmonious.

Discover some of the most-loved neutral hues in the Little Greene palette and explore tips for selecting the perfect neutral for your space.

Natural shades

Neutrals that contain a touch of green offer a redolence of the outdoors, creating a scheme that feels inherently tranquil and restful. A subtle alternative to green, these versatile neutral hues are perfect for those seeking a pared-back interior that still evokes the calming power of nature.

Explore the green-based neutrals in our ‘Stone’ palette to draw the outdoors into your living space. @mosslivinginteriors chose Green Stone – Light to provide a relaxed neutral backdrop for this kitchen scheme. These soothing, muted green tones work wonderfully in kitchens that look out onto your garden, helping to create seamless transition between the two spaces.

For a neutral with slightly more understated green undertones, consider our Portland Stone family. These historic shades are matched to an example of original Portland stone, the colour used to paint the facades of many Victorian townhouses.

Offered in four graduated shades, Portland Stone feels comfortable in almost any interior setting, providing just the right amount of warmth to create a gentle living environment. @catesthill chose the lightest hue, Portland Stone – Pale, to achieve a delicate off-white backdrop for her contemporary dining area.

Green-based neutrals

Pink-based hues

The inclusion of pink creates a neutral paint shade with alluring warmth, a wonderful choice to add instant beauty and character to your walls. Elegant, pink-based neutral hues are particularly beautiful when embraced all over for a soothing, nurturing effect.

Consider Mochi, a sophisticated pink-hued neutral from our ‘Sweet Treats’ palette. This inviting shade envelops you with warmth when featured on all four walls of a space. In this scheme from @myriggshome, Mochi provides the perfect accompaniment to dark wood furniture and traditional artwork.

Pink-based neutrals are useful shades for decorating light-starved interiors, such as north-facing rooms or small bathrooms and hallways. These parts of the home can sometimes feel dull or uninviting, so it’s important to select shades that will inject life, warmth and character.

China Clay – Dark is an elegant pale pink that can transform a space when colour-drenched on the walls, woodwork and ceiling. @wildinthewolds chose China Clay – Dark for her downstairs lavatory, creating a charming, attractive backdrop that exudes warmth.

Pink-based neutrals

Warm neutrals

For those seeking the perfect warm neutral, our palette includes a selection of shades that will add a touch of cosiness to your space. Our ‘Stone’ palette features colours with natural undertones, that provide a soft warmth for your scheme. Embrace these neutrals with confidence on all elements of a space for a restful, encompassing finish.

Containing umber for warmth, Rolling Fog is one of our most-loved neutrals, used historically as a white. In contemporary homes, this comforting neutral hue is simple to use individually, or combined with the lighter variations for a cohesive, sophisticated interior. @barrjoinery used Rolling Fog on both the walls and shelving in this scheme.

Clay is another neutral family from our ‘Stone’ palette, based on yellow ochre. Neutrals with yellow undertones offer a joyful, uplifting quality, ideal for a cosy bedroom or living room. Consider the shades from our Clay palette to maximise warmth in east-facing spaces that receive most of their sunlight in the morning.

@home.werc featured Clay all over as the backdrop for this pared-back bedroom scheme. This timeless warm neutral works equally well in modern and traditional interiors to instil peacefulness and tranquillity within the home.

Warm neutrals

Neutral whites

White is one of the most timeless shades in interior design, delivering spaces that feel innately balanced and elegant. Whilst pure brilliant white must be used judiciously, pale neutral whites offer a useful alternative. These versatile shades are simple to use in a variety of interior settings, creating a calm, gentle environment that flows naturally throughout the home.

One of our most-loved neutral shades, Slaked Lime is a pure neutral white, made with a complex combination of mineral pigments. Whether it features in a bedroom, kitchen or living space, Slaked Lime provides subtle yet noticeable warmth within a scheme. @jamesleonardi_ chose Slaked Lime to accompany white linens and natural finishes to create this sanctuary of calm.

Consider Linen Wash for a space with softly spoken warmth and comfort. A broken and pared-down natural linen hue, Linen Wash offers a very soft and gentle finish. It combines easily with many other colours, giving you the option to keep your scheme subdued and neutral, or incorporate bright pops of colour through your fabrics and furnishings.

@farmcottagediaries created a warm, homely bedroom setting by using Linen Wash on tongue and groove panelling. They incorporated various artworks and patterned fabrics to give the scheme a cosy, layered look.